This invention relates in general to a lifting apparatus and in particular to a lifting apparatus suitable for connection to an object such as an all-terrain or other off-road vehicle.
After hunting and killing a game animal such as a deer, it is sometimes desired to lift the game animal from the ground surface to a rack on an off-road vehicle or an all-terrain vehicle (ATV), in order to transport the game animal to another location. Due to the game animal's size and weight, lifting with human effort may be difficult and/or cause personal injury. To facilitate lifting, a lifting apparatus may be connected to the ATV or off-road vehicle, and may be used to lift the game animal, or other load, up and onto and/or over the rack of the ATV or off-road vehicle.
However, the operation of a conventional lifting apparatus may raise several problems. The lifting apparatus may be large and bulky, protruding out from the ATV or off-road vehicle and restricting the ability of the vehicle to travel through horizontally and/or vertically tight spaces in indoor environments, such as warehouses or barns, or outdoor environments, such as farms or forests. Also, the lifting apparatus may require even more volumetric space during the lifting operation, thereby further limiting the environments in which the ATV or off-road vehicle, and the lifting apparatus, may operate. Another problem may be the degree of human effort required to position the game animal or other load onto the lifting apparatus. Also, the loading of the game animal onto the apparatus, and subsequently over the ATV or off-road vehicle, may adversely affect the stability and balance of the vehicle, and may cause the vehicle to tip over. Further, one or more components of the lifting apparatus may fail or experience a reduction in performance due to the forces required to lift the game animal or other load.
Therefore, what is needed is a lifting apparatus and method that overcomes one or more of the above-described problems, among others.